Protective sock with tubular marginal air enclosure having valve means



D. T. MOWBRAY PROTECTIVE SOCK WITH TUBULAR MARGINAL AIR ENCLOSURE HAVING VALVE MEANS Filed June 12, 1948 Jan. 15, 1952 INV EN TOR.

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Application ilune 12, 1948;Serial-NoJ32;606

1 claim- (01. sec-s1) remain in place for an extended period xofxvtimel During such period of time, the patient: frequently finds bathing a difiicultltaskuto accomplish without wetting :or contaminating-the zbanda'ges nor otherwrappings .Also,. itzis frequently desirable, 'qdur'ingtreat-1 ment of. theiinj ured ior: ailingimembervwithzmedicate'd nompresses, that the compress be :kept in aisaturated condition. If the patient is .bedfast, this -is not too great :a problem rbut .;even1:then.

precautions must be takento protect :the *bedding' andcovers. However, if :the patient risvotherwise able to move. about; it'is vgenerallydifficult and a :great inconvenience to .keep the fcompress wet and .at the same timesprotect :objects with which the bandages may come-into contact.

It: is :accordingly :a primary .Obj ect ofggmyinven-r tionrto provide assi-mple sanitaryg moistureproof sock-like :device "which :may '..be::used :to :envelope. a human foot or leg to either exclude moisture or .thezlike while bathing or are'tain moisture or medicaments as desired or required by the nature of the treatment vbeing given,

Another primary object of my invention is the provision, in such a moisture-proof "sock, of a novel, simple and very practical-means fonsealing the opening through which time "foot or limb is inserted. I r,

Still other objects of my invention areethe provision of a sock-like protective "member of this nature which is adapted to adjust itself to fit a wide, range. of foot'or' leg sizes and. adapted'to-Joe adjusted toform a moisture-tight e'nclosure'about any hot .or leg within its size range withoutrestricting circulation in that member. I

A further object of my invention is the provision of a device of this nature which may be manufactured and marketed at a relatively low cost.

Other and further features and objects of the invention will be more apparent to those skilled in the art upon a consideration of the accompanying drawing and following specification, wherein are disclosed several exemplary embodiments of the invention, with the understanding,

however, that :such changes may be made therein .asdfall within the scope'fof the appended-claim,

tion.

"In the drawings:

Figure-l is -a side view of a sock-likemember constructed in accordance with one embodiment of my sinvention and adapted toserve as aa moisture-proof enclosure for the foot.

Figure 2 {illustrates the mann r i wh ch the device of'Fi'gure l is used to envelop the foot.

Figure '3 representsfa yertical, transverse sectionrof myxdev-ice illustrating, in particular, the meansrand manner-of sealing the opening through which the foot enters the sock.

1 Figure ;4 is :a view taken looking at the- =-inn er face of a-tnrnedv down marginal portion of the structure and shows Jihje structural details of -the check-valve.

Figure-5 illustrates the preferred method of fabricating -;!ny protective device, and

'Figurezfi Shows a modified form of my invention.

:Referring'now to-these drawings andto Figures 1 and '2 thereof'linpparticular; asstatedEhereinbefore, a :m'o'isture resistant, sockelike enclosure member oft the type with which this application deals may :be 10f {various lengths andtake various shapes tOTheSt serve its purpose. Thus, oneiform of-my-device may be ;of such length as toenvelop substantially "the entire leg.

Another f'ormof the-device may be :of such size as atmenvelop the tore part only of "the foot. Still another :form :of the invention, and the one which will'ibe described in this specification as a representative type, is illustrated in full lines by to be forced into intimate contact with the pa-v tients leg as best shown in Figures 2 and 3.

The check valve it is shown in greater detail in Figure 4 and consists of a circular disk l6l of hard or semi-hard, plastic or the like cemented or sealed along a narrow marginal portion I62 thereof to the outer surface I42 of the inflatable seal. The disk is apertured centrally thereof as at I63 and the film forming the wall I42 of the seal is also apertured .at one or more points I64-I64 within the area outlined by the marginal seal I62 but out of line with the central aperture I63.

A bulb-type pump or syringe such as that indicated at I! provides a satisfactory and readily obtainable means for inflating the tubular seal I4. Such a pump commonly incorporates the necessary check valves, and the hose III should preferably be provided with a tapered nozzle of a size to provide a good fit in the aperture I63 of the check valve. Air, forced by the pump through the orifice I63, passes into the circular thence through the holes I64. Upon removal of the pump, the pressure within the tubular cuff forces the wall I42 against the port I63 to thereby seal it. A blunt object such as a match stick may be employed to release the air when necessary. This is accomplished by inserting the match stick in the aperture I63 and pushing the wall I42 away from the valve disc I6 I. I

In the manufacture of the device herein described, a relatively thin, tough, pliable and transparent material should preferably be employed. I have found that the necessary characteristics may be had in a variety of materials but particularly among the newer plastics. Among these, I have found the elastomeric type of plastic sheeting or film to be particularly satisfactory. Other materials may be employed as for example rubber sheeting or the sock may be produced by the dipped latex method. A preferred method of fabrication is illustrated best by Figure in which a pair of blanked-out forms or sheets of material generally of the shape shown are peripherally sealed together as at I43 except for the top edge I44. The apertures I64 (see Figure 4) are punched in one sheet only near the upper edge I44 (Figure 5) and the check valve disk I6I sealed in place against the inner side thereof. A cuff is now formed in the material adjacent the open end of the device by folding the top portion I42 down along the line I45 and the cuff is completed by sealing the entire upper edge I44 to the adjacent side walls as at I46.

Although other means may be employed, I havefound, particularly when plastic film is employed, that the preferred method of sealing the joints is by means of short wave electronic heating.

The modified form of my invention illustrated in Figure 6 is substantially the same as that previously described except that the cuff I8 is in the form of two or more narrow interconnected air chambers I8I and I82 both of which may be inflated through a single check valve I9. This form of the device may be fabricated in the same manner as that shown in Figures 1 to 5 but'an additional, peripherally extending seam 2I is formed between the walls I83 and I84. A gap 2I I between the ends of this seam permits the passage of air from one chamber to the other.

This construction has the advantage, under space between the disc I6I and the wall I42 and user.

certain conditions, that there is a lesser tendency to form striations or wrinkles on the inner wall I83 against the patients leg.

A sock-like envelope or enclosure embodying my invention is well adapted to protect surgical dressings on the foot from becoming damaged or contaminated by water during bathing. This device also makes it possible to keep wet dressings in proper condition without constant attention and without serious inconvenience to the The cuff may be only partially inflated when used to cover wet dressings so as to cause no interference with circulation in the leg.

My device. need not be closely or accurately fitted to the foot or leg of the user since it will readily adapt itself to a wide range of sizes due to its pneumatic cuff. This same feature makes a moisture-tight seal possible without restricting circulation in the patients leg.

The opening for entry of the foot, in a device such as I have described, may be larger than is possible if, for example, the sock employed an elastic top. This feature also increases the ease with which the sock may be put on an injured foot or removed.

Although I have described specific embodiments of my invention, it is apparent that modifications thereof may be made by those skilled in the art. Such modifications may be made without departing from the spirit and scope of my invention as set forth in the appended claim.

, I claim asmy invention:

Asurgical stocking comprising a liquid-proof enclosure of sock-like shape constructed of thin, pliable, elastic material, a wide marginal portion of the stockingadjac'ent the leg opening thereto being folded downwardly in overlapping relation with the leg portion of the stocking and sealed thereto along the edge of said marginal portion to provide a relatively large tubular air enclosure expandable inwardly by air pressure to provide a pneumatic seal against a leg encased therein and valve means comprising an apertured disc peripherally sealed to the outer face of the downwardly folded wide marginal portion, the said wide marginal portionalso having a vent hole therethrough offset from the aperture in the disc but within the peripheral seal to the disc and adapted to seal against the inner face of said disc.

' DOUGLAS THOMAS MOWBRAY.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS LHollier Apr. 8, 1941 

